PBJ Connections uses horses to heal

Holly Jedlicka grew up with horses – an opportunity that, she says, made her feel incredibly blessed. A licensed social worker, Jedlicka was eager to share her love of horses with those who could benefit from the animals on another level.

“I had a strong interest in mental health, so we kind of married the two to combine horse and mental health services,” Jedlicka says.

In 2006 Jedlicka and co-founder Glenda Childress created PBJ Connections. By 2007, they began accepting clients.

At its main location in Pataskala, PBJ Connections has seven horses, four donkeys and an

Photo courtesy of PBJ Connections

orange cat named Clark for use in therapy sessions. However, through partnerships with Otterbein University, The Ohio State University and others, PBJ Connections has access to about 50 additional horses.

PBJ Connections assists clients “across the board,” Jedlicka says, including children who might be on the autism spectrum or on probation.

“(We have) kids who are fairly healthy, but struggling because their parents are divorcing, all the way to kids with severe depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder,” she says.

Children who are low-functioning or nonverbal are referred to other programs that include treatment suitable for their needs, Jedlicka says.

PBJ Connections offers group, individual and family therapy. Area school districts, such as Columbus City Schools and Westerville City Schools, can also send children deemed at-risk to PBJ Connections. These children come in groups of about 10 and visit for an hour and a half each week to work on coping skills and managing emotions, Jedlicka says.

In a typical therapy session, Jedlicka says, clients are asked to project their feelings and

Photo courtesy of PBJ Connections

thoughts onto the horses.

“We invite the clients to spend some time with the horses and see what comes up with the issues they’re coming in with,” she says. “Maybe they’ll say, ‘That horse is just like my brother because it’s pushing me around.’”

The clients can set boundaries with what the therapy horse is representing, Jedlicka says. Horses react to humans as if they’re members of their herd.

“It’s really powerful for clients,” she says. “They can see what they’re struggling with through the horse. (Horses) react to the people around them. The horse will act very similarly to a person who might push boundaries (with a client), and the clients learn how to assert themselves differently.”

Jedlicka recalls several powerful therapy sessions involving a teenager at risk of suicide and her mother.

“One of the donkeys was looking a little rough; his coat didn’t look good. That particular donkey stood right between the mom and daughter and they ended up naming that donkey ‘frustration and anxiety,’” Jedlicka says. “That donkey represented the strained relationship.”

During the mother and daughter’s third therapy session, the donkey stopped standing between the two.

“It was pretty powerful for them,” Jedlicka says. “It promoted this calm communication between the mom and the daughter that never happened at home.”